KOLAHOO, MAKRAN:
Child marriage occurs in every region of the world and is practised across cultures and religions. The highest rates of child marriage are observed in Sub-Saharan Africa, in countries such as Niger, the Central African Republic and Chad. However, the largest number of child brides live in South Asia, where 46% of girls are married off before they reach the 18 years of age. Child marriage has been steadily increasing with economic instability, forcing girls into a vulnerable situation.
According to the UN, 37,000 girls under the age of 18 are married off each day around the world. South Asia now has the greatest number of married girls and “girls at-risk of child marriage” than ever before. One in 3 girls in the developing world are married off before 18; and 1 in 9 before the age of 15. If the trend persists, more than 140 million girls will turn married women before the age of 18 in the next decade. Globally, almost 400 million women now aged 20-49 were married off before the age of 18. Early marriage is a harmful practice that denies girls their right to make vital decisions about their sexual health and well-being. It forces them out of education and into a life of poor prospects with increased risk of violence, abuse, ill health or early death. Child marriage has become a global crisis, fueled by gender inequality, poverty and obsolete social norms.
Unfortunately, there is no single solution to end such a practice. We must all work together. Solutions must be local, contextual and integrated. The ‘Girls Not Brides’ theory of change shows the range and combination of approaches needed, and the role everyone has to play.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2021.
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